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There was a chess board on a pedestal table in the hallway, with pieces made of frosted glass. I picked up the King’s pawn, feeling the weight of it, and then impulsively moved it forward two spaces. It had been a long time since I last played a game. Maybe I would teach Kaylee how to play, if she didn’t already know.
“There’s no kitchen,” Jordy said. He was walking around the suite, waving a small electronic device over the walls. Checking for listening devices, I assumed. “But there’s a mini-fridge, and someone left a bunch of grocery bags on the table by the bar.”
Archer dropped his bag on the floor and nodded. “I had the concierge pick up some staples for us. Bread, butter, peanut butter, cheese, milk. We can use those for lunches. The rest of the meals will be delivered from the hotel restaurant downstairs.”
“I love room service!” Kaylee squealed.
“When have you had room service?” I asked.
“We stayed at a hotel in Valley once. I got ice cream delivered!”
“Raleigh, not Valley,” Archer said. He turned to me. “Whenever you order the meals, have them drop them off outside the door. Never let them inside. If you have to, tell them you’re paranoid about COVID.”
“Understood.”
Harrison returned to retrieve his duffel bag, but he didn’t carry it away. He fished something out of it and went into the bathroom in the hall. He left the door open, and I heard water running from the faucet.
“Dearie? Why don’t you run along and get settled in your room while the adults discuss things,” Archer said.
Kaylee needed no other persuasion, and went sprinting off. Archer waited for the door to close, then retrieved a manila folder from his laptop bag. He placed the folder on the coffee table and opened it, revealing a black-and-white headshot of a man with a thin beard and a bald head.
“This is Aldi Kadyrovic. He’s the unofficial leader of the Chechen Republic within Russia. While the official head of Chechnya sits behind a desk signing paperwork, Kadyrovic goes out and does all the dirty work.”
“Fucking animal,” Harrison growled from the bathroom, where the water was still running. What was he doing in there? Washing his hands?
“Kadyrovic reports directly to Vladimir Putin. He sends press gangs through Chechen towns, forcing men to enlist to fight in the war in Ukraine. When men don’t want to go, he tortures them. Their families, too. Sometimes he tortures them even when they agree. He gets off on it, the sadistic arsehole. In Moscow, he’s got a reputation. They call him Putin’s Rabid Dog. Kadyrovic is, without a doubt, an evil man.”
Jordy nodded. “I read the full report. You don’t need to convince me.”
“We should only be here a week,” Archer went on, mostly for my benefit. “It will take a few days to get established and solidify our covers. Our intel says Kadyrovic will be visiting Baku later this week. When he does, we’ll make our move and get him.”
“This is a lot more dangerous than the last two missions,” I said. “You’re not doing security work, or training locals on how to use weapons. You’re, like, kidnapping a guy!”
Archer and Jordy looked at each other.
“What?” I asked.
“We’re not here to kidnap him,” Jordy said slowly.
“Then what are you doing? Sitting down with him? Negotiating? I find it hard to believe you would negotiate with someone you compared to a rabid dog.”
Both of them stared blankly at me. I didn’t understand.
And then I did.
“No…”
“We’re only telling you the details of our mission as a friendly courtesy,” Archer said. “This is the job we took, and we are being paid quite handsomely for it.”
“You’re going to kill him!” I exclaimed. “You’reassassinatinga man!”
“A bad man,” Jordy said. “This guy is a fucking lunatic, Trish.”
“Still! The ethics of it…”
Archer patted my leg. “You need not worry about the ethics of it, because you aren’t taking part.”
The room was starting to feel too warm. “Not directly! But I’m taking care of your daughter. Which frees you up to do it. I’m, like, an accomplice or something!”
